The EU prohibited all Indonesian air carriers from entering European countries on July 6, although there were no Indonesian airlines flying to European countries at the time.

Garuda was planning to resume flights to the Netherlands just before the ban.

The travel ban has caused several European tourists to cancel travel to Indonesia.

The prohibition requires tourism agencies to advise their customers Indonesian airlines are unsafe, but significant losses have not been reported.

A meeting attended by EU ambassador Jean Breteche and officials from Indonesia's air transportation body in July decided an audit team would be sent to Indonesia in November -- giving the republic three months to make all the necessary improvements.

Breteche said the EU needed proof of Indonesia's ""action plan, commitment and real measures"" to increase its safety standards.

The Saudi Arabian General Authority on Civil Aviation (GACA) said it planned to join the EU in banning Indonesian airlines from flying to the country, but after sending a team of technical delegates to Indonesia in August, Garuda was cleared to enter the Middle East kingdom.

Several local major airlines, including Garuda, have attempted to highlight their improvements by obtaining official certification through an operational safety audit from the International Air Transport Association. (lva)

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